Flowers
by twinmomma78
Summary: Kate is returning to "normal" life after the events of Countdown...she receives flowers from Josh, but a surprise arrives that outshines them.


**I own nothing. Even if I may wish I did. **

**This idea formed in my brain this morning and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I had to get it down. Just another little one shot that we'll never see happen (even though it would be adorable if it did!). I hope you enjoy it! Takes place two days after the end of the episode "Countdown" (S3E17).**

Flowers. Kate was overwhelmed by the bouquet that had arrived at the precinct that morning from Josh. It had only been two days since the bomb scare. Two days since she had almost frozen to death. Two days since she had looked Castle in the eyes as they waited for the bomb that didn't go off, thanks entirely to his quick (if slightly insane) thinking at the last second. The flowers were beautiful, a mixture of roses, daisies and irises. The card that came with them said simply, "Thinking of you."

They were…cheerful. It was a sweet gesture, one that might have meant so much more to an average, normal woman. Kate silently shook her head, admonishing herself. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Josh's gesture. She really thought it was nice that he had gone out of his way to send her flowers. But they weren't what she really needed. Montgomery had insisted that she take a full day off before returning to work, but she was happy to be back in the office. She had literally spent the day before bored out of her mind, cleaning her home and watching old movies…alone. She would have preferred to spend the day with Josh, but he had been called in to fill the spot of another physician who had to leave suddenly after a death in the family. It wasn't Josh's fault, and she understood how important work can be. But of all days for him to not be available, the one she really wanted to spend with him?

The flowers were sweet. They were thoughtful. But they were just…cliché. Closing her eyes, she let the guilt wash over her for thinking that way.

Thankfully, the work day had been blessedly quiet. After the chaos of the previous week, it was welcome, even if slightly boring. Esposito and Ryan had given her space to work on completing the massive amount of paperwork that was her responsibility, keeping their usual chatter to a minimum and only acknowledging the previous week's events with a brief conversation early that morning in the breakroom.

Wrapping up her last report for the afternoon, she stretched and let her mind wander. The empty chair next to her desk reminded her of her "partner." Castle may not have been there that day, but she had thought of him several dozen times. The sight of him holding a fistful of wires after disarming the bomb…that was just a priceless memory. She was glad he had opted to stay home and spend another day with Alexis and Martha. He had a lot of explaining to do since sending them to the Hamptons without a full explanation. She could picture them together, one happy unit. Then she shook herself away from the thought, not sure why he was on her mind so much all day.

Putting her coat on, she glanced around the room and realized that it was the first day in a long time that she was leaving at a normal hour. Ordinarily she was one of the last to leave. She reached down and gathered the flowers in her arms, trying to negotiate the best way to carry them without compromising her ability to see where she was going. She nodded at Ryan and Esposito and headed for the elevator.

Walking into the lobby at her building, she sighed as she pressed the button for the elevator and juggled the vase. When the car reached her floor, she walked down the hallway to her door. She was putting the key to the first lock when she felt her foot knock against something on the floor. Taking two steps back, she shifted the flowers to the side again and looked down.

A gift? She tilted her head to the side and tried to read the envelope that was tucked into the intricate bow on top. Realizing that her arms were too full, she continued to work on the lock and enter her loft. Kate set the flowers down on the kitchen counter, then walked back to the door and stooped down to examine the box. A good detective would never just see a mysterious box as a gift, but it seemed harmless enough. The envelope simply said, "Kate." And she recognized the author's handwriting.

_Castle,_ she thought. _What have you done?_ She couldn't help the small grin that spread across her face. He was clever when it came to finding the perfect gift, as she had seen with Alexis and others. She picked the box up gently and gave it a little shake, but there was no sound from inside. She walked back inside the door, closing and locking it behind her, then crossed the room to sit on the couch with the gift on her lap. She glanced up at the flowers Josh had sent, biting her lip at the sense of confusion she felt.

Carefully taking the bow off the box, she removed the envelope and took out the small note inside. _For our next freezer expedition._

Lifting the lid from the box, she pushed back the tissue paper. Nestled inside was a snuggie…a NY Mets snuggie. The idea of the blanket with sleeves was too amusing for her to keep silent, and she let out a laugh. Quirky? Yes, he was. But the man knew how to select the perfect gift. Biting her lip, she looked up at the bouquet of flowers that smiled at her from across the room. She hugged the blanket to her and leaned back against the couch cushions…she had a lot to think about.


End file.
